Potato Vector

The Vector variety is little known to domestic gardeners, however, being the owner of several outstanding characteristics, it clearly deserves more popularity.

The variety was bred in the 80s. last century at the Research Institute. A.G. Lorkha is the largest scientific institution in the Russian Federation specializing in potatoes. Among his parents is a hybrid seedling and Zarevo potatoes, Ukrainian potatoes with tasty, rounded, boiled tubers and high yield rates.

The variety is included in the list of approved in 2014. Not to be confused with the Vektar Belorusskiy variety, which is also often called the Vector - this variety was included in the Russian register in 2013.

Vector is a miniature variety with an amazing yield for such a short man. The bushes are neat, small, while the tubers can be up to 200 grams in weight, depending on the care. From 1 bush, 14-15 weighty, high-quality tubers are obtained. The variety also stands out for its health. Late blight is one of the most common potato diseases, capable of destroying up to 60% of the crop. And some data (Berlin, IPPC 2015, Oerke, 2006) indicate that even with the use of chemical protection, losses from this disease are up to 30%. There are no varieties completely resistant to this disease. And of the resistant ones, many have only partial resistance: either only the tubers or only the tops are not damaged. Variety Vector is one of the examples of the achievements of modern breeding, trying to create universal strong varieties, in which both the aerial part and root crops are immune to the causative agent of late blight.

The bush is compact, semi-erect, up to 45 cm high, more often no higher than 30-35 cm. The leaves are dark green, medium-sized, with a noticeable stitch. The flowers are lilac.

Tubers are oval-rounded, with barely visible eyes. The size is large - 92-143 grams, individual tubers can be even larger. The caliber is good. The rind is reddish beige, firm and smooth, the flesh is light yellow. Starch content - 16.7-17.5%, which is an intermediate indicator between low and high.

The taste is good and excellent. The variety is suitable for making chips, frying and soups. It belongs to the culinary type BC, it is an intermediate category of varieties that have rather dense tubers, but due to the average starch content, they are moderately boiled. Good for mashing.

The variety is mid-season. The crop is dug up 100-110 days after planting.

The maximum yield of 403 c / ha is almost 2 times higher than that of Aurora (standard) potatoes in the Tula region. The average yield is 180-263 c / ha, and this is about marketable potatoes, the yield of which is 90-98%. 1.5-2 kg of tubers are harvested from the bush, from 1 sq. m - 10 kg. Keeping quality is very good - 95%.

Officially, the variety is recommended to be grown in the Central Region. But due to heat resistance and high resistance to viral and bacterial diseases, Vector can be considered for growing in any region.It is worth avoiding planting varieties where a golden potato nematode was noticed (it also affects tomatoes, peppers, this pest only loves nightshades). In the Russian Federation, the nematode was found in 56 regions, but it is a quarantine pest, that is, it can be found in small isolated areas.

The variety is unpretentious, drought-resistant, heat-resistant. In the recommended regions (central regions of the Russian Federation), it does not need watering, in general. To maximize yields, it is of course best to provide additional irrigation during dry summers. The fertility of any variety directly depends on the intake of moisture.

The Vector has no special requirements for soil. Like any potato, it is planted in loose soil whenever possible. To check if the soil is "fluffy" enough, a hand is immersed in it. In, indeed, a loose hand will plunge to the elbow without much effort. Loose soil warms up faster in spring, potatoes sprout more amicably and quickly, further avoids the risk of getting sick, because excess moisture evaporates faster, tubers do not get wet.

The vector can be planted even in loamy soils, it is tenacious and hardy, it perfectly resists late blight, the main misfortune of potatoes in personal plots. However, if there is a desire to prepare ideal conditions for him, the soil is cultivated.

1. Sawdust, coarse sand, peat and compost are added to the loam. It is better to take manure 2-3 years old.

2. Sandy. Manure, peat, compost are added to it so that the soil retains moisture better and is more nutritious.

3. Swamp-peat areas are poor, you need to fertilize the territory with potash and phosphorus fertilizers. Adding organic matter is helpful.

4. Acidic soils are deoxidized with wood ash, hydrated lime, dolomite flour or chalk.

The plot must be sunny. Windy areas can be assigned to the Vector, the bushes are so miniature that, unlike many other varieties, they calmly perceive open places.

Potatoes do not need fertilizers in well-prepared areas, but nitrogenous fertilizing in the spring and potassium-phosphorus fertilizers can be applied during the season. In the fall, rotted compost is introduced, in a bucket per 1 sq. m. For fertilization and disease prevention, foliar dressing is used. Do not overdo it with fertilizers, potatoes can become bland and watery in taste.

The variety is resistant to potato cancer, has a very high resistance to late blight pathogens, which is rare for a crop. And also has a good immunity to various types of mosaics and leaf curling. However, it is susceptible to golden potato nematode. This pest is capable of destroying up to 30% of the crop, in some cases - up to 90%, it is difficult to deal with it even in industrial conditions - nematicides are expensive and hazardous to the environment.

Therefore, they focus on prevention.

1. Crop rotation. Planting potatoes again in the same area should not be earlier than 4 years later.

2. It is best to plant in between crops that cleanse the soil: corn, legumes, perennials.

3. Fertile soil or proper fertilization of the site increases the immunity of the crop. As a fertilizer, you can use ready-made compositions of trace elements, or a self-selected complex of organic matter + urea + wood ash + superphosphate.

4. Tubers are pickled in a weak solution of potassium permanganate before planting.

Planting resistant varieties partially solves the issue, but even in this case, you should periodically change varieties to others so that the pathogen does not adapt to them. If a pest was noticed on the site, it is better to combine the Vector variety with other varieties.

The variety has recently come to the attention of small farmers, so they are almost unknown. There are practically no reviews. Vector's ancestor, the Zarevo variety, managed to gain popularity. It is stable, fruitful and tasty, the potatoes are perfectly stored, which is especially important on large farms. The vector is in no way inferior to it, and even surpasses it in a number of characteristics. Variety Vector should be considered by everyone who is tired of fighting potato late blight, looking for a very stable and productive variety with not too dense tubers suitable for cooking any dishes.